


Shifting Sand Stretto

by ienablu



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, First Time, POV Rey (Star Wars), Pre-film, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-07-26 10:29:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7570678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ienablu/pseuds/ienablu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After establishing a contact Lor San Tekka, Poe’s X-Wing suffers a minor mechanical failure, leaving him to land outside Niima Outpost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shifting Sand Stretto

**Author's Note:**

> Been working on Oudoom exclusively the past two months, and while I love it, I wanted to show myself that I could quickly write a short, self-contained fic. Not as quickly as I hope, and there is part of me that wants to explore this AU more, but it's not a 40k WIP and that's all I need.

The oppressive heat of the sun and the insistent aching of her empty stomach leave Rey with a smaller haul as she returns to the Niima Outpost. She is being torn apart by the desire to get the trade over with as soon as possible, and the dread of an eight portion – her tenth in a row. There are so many untouched parts of the Ravager, but accessing them continues to elude her and her attempts only drain her energy.

At Unkar’s trading post, there is a longer line than normal, and curious bystanders linger and watch the hold-up.

She skirts along the edges of the crowd on her way to the cleaning station. Her haul – a pitiful four pieces – is so small she can cradle it all to her chest. Settling down and pulling on her cleaning gloves, she keeps everything within arms’ reach. 

Keeps everyone else just on the edge of her staff’s reach.

"What do you mean, you don't accept credits?"

The person at the front of the line is someone new to Jakku, obviously. Or someone pretending to be new, so to cause a distraction for thieves. Given the size of the crowd that has been drawn, and the familiarity of all the faces, she doesn't think that's as likely. Still, she pulls her day's salvage closer around her, especially after she’s cleaned them. One of the pieces is one she’s never seen before, and anything new is seen as valuable to thieves. Jakku is self-governing on theft, and she’s learned some time ago to keep watch. 

The newcomer’s voice places them as a male human. Every so often the crowd shifts enough for her to get a view, but she’s at a distance where all she can make out is that he is dressed in browns and blacks and of regular build. He argues as she scrubs her pieces clean. She listens as he describes what he needs, everyone listens as he lists his X-Wing specs.

Cleaning four pieces only takes so long, and with the newcomer stalking away from the trading post, the crowd disperses and she only has one scavenger in front of her. Four parts. An eighth portion, perhaps only a sixteenth. If a sixteenth, she will have to make another trip, hope to make it back before the trading post closes. It’s unbearable to think about, so she looks around, seeking out the newcomer. He has been approached by a circle of scavengers, all trying to ply him into unfair bargains.

Her time in line comes.

The junker’s eyes go wide when he sees her parts. He picks up the new part, and grumbles to himself as he browses a datapad. “What you’ve brought,” he starts, as he always starts, “is worth seven portions.” 

She stares at him, eyes wide, then stares at the growing pile of portions. _Seven portions_. She stuffs them into the folds of her shirt, glancing around to make sure no one’s seen her. She has her staff, and she will fend off any attackers, but her energy is low and she would rather get home and eat. She may eat a full half-portion – her stockpile was depleted four days ago, and she needs to save at least five portions, but she is so hungry. She’s hungry and she’s going to get to eat. Which means tomorrow, she will have more energy, and will be able to get more parts and more portions. There's only so many portions that can be saved without the fear of her home being scavenged itself, and taking a day off would draw suspicion, but as she heads to her speeder, she allows herself to consider it. A day to rest, eat, get her strength back up. Sleep in, stay out of the heat. Relax.

The group around the newcomer has thinned, and she’s finally able to get a good look at him, to consolidate the glimpses into one picture. Human male, regularly built, wearing a dark brown leather jacket, a dark gray shirt and a pair of black pants and black boots. Holds himself well, is a possible physical threat, though he seems non-threatening – as much as anyone on Jakku can be non-threatening.

Teedo is making a snide insult with a barely-veiled threat as she passes both him and the newcomer, and she slows to a stop a few steps later. She turns back, and sees that Teedo is leading off the rest of the jeering scavengers. The newcomer is left alone, staring off after them.

After a few moments of indecision, she takes a step back, and then another, and warily taps him on the shoulder.

He turns around, posture not as overly defensive as anyone who has spent more than a few days on Jakku. As he looks her up and down, there is a wariness to his gaze, but his expression is open, almost kind.

"The piece you need, you're not going to find it on Jakku."

He raises an eyebrow. "My new friend was just saying he could get one, if I gave him a few _non-essential_ pieces of the X-Wing."

"That’s Teedo. And he’s lying to you. You're not going to find that piece here. However, if you go to the Inflictor, there is a piece that you can use as substitution. It won't get you across the galaxy, but you should be able to get a few planets over where you can find someone who does have the piece you need." And with that, she turns on her heel and starts walking back to her speeder.

"Wait," comes his voice from behind her, accompanied by the sound of rustling sand.

A hand lands on her shoulder, and she's moving and reacting faster than she can think, bringing up her staff and knocking the newcomer to the ground.

"Sorry," he says, looking up at her, one hand to his cheek, the other hand held up in an appeasing manner. When she doesn’t move, he pushes himself to his feet. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"You don't scare me," she says, and closes her mouth because that is not something to admit to.

"Startle you," he amends. "I was just wondering – I don't know where the Inflictor is. Where is it? And what pieces does it have that can be used as substitution?"

The Star Destroyer is visible from Niima Outpost, and she points to it. “Any compression coil should work, and there should be plenty there.” It takes two dozen compression coils to be worth an eighth portion, and are generally left where found. He stares off towards the Inflictor, and Rey continues walking to her speeder.

There's the sound of footsteps, and this time the guy jogs in front of her – passing her outside her striking distance – and then turns around, walking backwards as she keeps walking. "Can I hitch a ride with you?"

She frowns. "What? No. I'm going to my home."

"Could you drop me off there?”

“It’s not on my way. Besides, you go there this time of night, it’ll be dark by the time you get there, and you’ll get hit by thieves.”

He stumbles over nothing but the sheer abundance of sand. After a sheepish grimace at himself, he asks, “Can I go with you?”

“ _No_. You should stay with your X-Wing to make sure no one tries to salvage it.”

He gives her a grin. “I know a few good smugglers, and they’ve helped me make a few security modifications. No one’s getting nothing from my X-Wing.”

She raises an eyebrow, but lets him have his arrogance. She keeps walking, and walking past him as he stops.

“Please.”

She stops. Turns around.

He’s staring at her.

“Why me?” she asks, finally.

“Because you’re the only person I know here. And from the interactions I’ve had with Unkar and Teedo, I don’t really want to get to know anyone else.”

Her mouth thins as she assesses him. Perhaps he knows about her seven portions, is trying to find a way to get them. But there’s not that feeling in her gut telling her to be cautious of him. Not that feeling in her gut saying that he is lying to her. Perhaps he is completely alone on this planet. Perhaps he’s scared. She sighs, and nods towards her speeder.

There’s a touch to her elbow, and she manages to fight against her instinct to defend herself. But he just smiles at her, warm and genuine. He continues on.

She stares after him. Then hurries up to her speeder, up onto her seat, secures her goggles in place. There’s only one seat on her speeder, and so she shifts as forward as she can, and he climbs up behind her. He wraps his arms around her. Last time she had someone arms’ around her, it was a fight. Lifting her up off the ground, before slamming her back down. But even then, they were not as close as he is. 

She takes a moment to get used to it, and another moment after that to acknowledge she’s not going to be able to.

She starts off towards her home. As the speed picks up, he moves in closer. His front presses fully against her back. His legs press against the back of her thighs. His forehead goes to her shoulder to shield his eyes from the sand. 

Her body tingles with the proximity, and she feels both extremely relieved and oddly disappointed as she pulls to a stop and he pulls back from her.

She gets off her speeder.

He slides into the seat.

She tenses. This was a mistake, she’s hungry and not thinking clearly and she’s made a mistake. He could take her speeder, get the piece he needs, sell her speeder to Unkar, get the promised twenty portions, and leave the planet. She would be down one of the most valuable assets she owns and her staff is too far up to get without drawing his attention and there is nothing she would be able to do to stop it. She waits, completely still, for his next move.

It’s to smile. “Your speeder is amazing,” he tells her, not taking his eyes off the controls. 

She frowns up at him.

He looks to her, smile growing wider. “You make this from scratch, or just mod a lot?”

She pulls her goggles to the top of her head, and lowers the cloth from the bottom of her face. “A lot of mods,” she finally replies.

“You’re telling me,” he says under his breath. “‘Cause you had to have done this bit by bit, trial by error, right?”

She nods.

He shakes his head, still smiling. “This is amazing,” he repeats. “Now how do I get off it without landing on my face?”

“Practice.”

He lets out a laugh, loud and out of place in the silence of the desert. To his credit, he doesn’t fall on his face when he dismounts, but he does stumble, trying to steady himself in the sand. Then he clears his throat, and nods off to the side. “Mind if I take a moment and…?”

She tells herself it’s not a ruse, and she goes into her AT-AT. With him away for a moment, she takes the time to add another tally to her wall. She doesn’t know how long he’s going to take, and she doesn’t want him to walk in on her hiding her portions, despite that he’s shown no indication of dishonesty. In the meantime, she unwraps her shirt from her head, and bundles six of the seven portions in the shirt, which she then bundles in her blanket.

With the remaining portion, she heads over to her kitchen area, breaks the portion into quarters.

He comes in, oddly knocking on the doorframe and waiting a moment before he enters. He takes two steps in and stops.

She watches him as he looks around. His gaze is sharp and smart as it flits around from detail to detail. His gaze falls on the wall of tallies, and his brow furrows. He turns back towards her, but he stops. Another two steps, and he’s picking up her helmet.

She tenses.

He turns to her, a smile growing on his face. “Is this a Tierfon Yellow Ace helmet?”

She nods.

He looks back to it, holding it up to eye-level. “Oh, I gotta tell Jess about this.”

She continues the meal prep, keeping an eye on him as he continues looking around. She had not offered to share her dinner, but part of her wants to. Once she’s plated her portion, she readies the second, only to realize she doesn’t have a plate for him. She should have something else to use, though, and she starts looking around.

“Anything I can help you look for?”

“A second plate.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

She stares at him.

He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a palm-sized foil packet.

“What’s that?”

“It’s an emergency ration. Worst thing you’ll ever eat.”

She swallows. “I’ve never had one before.”

He holds it out to her. “Want one? I’ve got plenty.”

She narrows her eyes at the packet. “What do you want for it?”

He frowns. “Nothing…? I’m giving it to you.”

She narrows her eyes further.

He assesses her for a long minute. He lowers his hand, and then holds it up in front of him. “I’ll trade you. This ration for your name.”

“My name,” she repeats.

He nods.

“Rey.”

He smiles. “Rey,” he says, handing over the ration. “That’s a pretty name.”

The corner of Rey’s mouth flickers into a tentative smile.

“I’m Poe, Poe Dameron.”

Rey frowns, and holds the ration package back out.

Poe holds up his hand. “I just traded that to you.”

“A name for a ration. I gave you my name so you would give me the ration. You gave me your name…”

“…to be polite,” Poe says. “Not everything’s a trade.”

“It is on Jakku.”

Poe’s expression goes through a series of emotions she can’t name. “Well, my name was in trade for the information on the substitute piece for my ship.”

Rey frowns again. “That’s an unfair trade.”

“I didn’t know it was going to be a trade when you gave me the information,” Poe tells her. He stares at her, head tilting to the side. He’s assessing her, but it’s not like in any way she’s been assessed before. “Everything is a trade on Jakku, but you gave me the information on the piece. You let me into your home.”

She doesn’t reply.

“You haven’t asked for anything,” he continues. 

His gaze and tone are curious, observant, clear of any accusations, but Rey drops her gaze from his eyes, stares over his shoulder.

“Why?”

Over his shoulder is the wall of her tally marks. “Because,” she says, softly. “No one else was going to help you. Help you get back to where you came from. It seemed like the right thing to do.”

It’s quiet for a long minute.

Rey finally looks back up at him.

Poe’s staring at her with an expression she’s never seen before. “Thank you.”

She blinks. “I…” She can’t believe it. She can’t believe _him_. “I’ve never been thanked before.”

“Glad to be your first,” he says, and then pulls out his own ration.

Rey adds the second portion to her plate, but she opens the ration Poe gave her first. It’s less of a roll, and more of a bar, denser, less airy. She takes a few curious nibbles. It’s less grain, less dry. “What’s the nutrition content of this?”

Poe makes a face. “Never asked, sorry.”

“How long would a whole bar last?”

He thinks it over. “Probably could last a full day with moderate activity?”

She nods. “How long do they keep?”

“Longer than they should.”

Portions turn hard and inedible after a few hours, and so Rey stores away the ration for later.

They eat in silence.

“Are you with the Resistance?” Rey finally asks.

“Why do you ask?”

She stares at him out of the corner of her eye. “You’re not a scavenger. And you’re too flashy to be a trader.”

Poe laughs, and the sound fills her home. “Yes, I’m with the Resistance.”

“I’ve never met anyone from the Resistance before.” She bites her bottom lip. “What’s it like?”

Poe talks through the rest of the evening, filling her home with stories like the ones she had imagined, only better, bigger, real.

Finally, once the stories wind down, Rey stands up. “We should go to bed. I leave at sunrise.” She looks around. Although in some ways it’s always felt too big for her, there’s not much room to fit a second person. She has her hammock, and while the area they’ve been sitting should be large enough for him to lay down, it’s not the most comfortable.

“Do you mind if I sleep outside? I promise, I’m not going to take your speeder out for a joyride or anything like that. I just like to sleep under the sky when I can. Here’s collateral,” he adds, and he starts to take off his jacket.

Rey’s heard of attraction. Never felt it, aside from a passing fancy at a few traders. But with Poe, watching his body move… watching how his black shirt clings to his body, the reveal of toned forearms… 

“It’s one of the favorite things I own. It also makes a nice pillow.” He tosses her his jacket. 

Rey stares down at the jacket. It’s still warm from his body heat, matching the warmth of her cheeks. The satin of the interior is smooth against her fingertips.

“See you at sunrise.” Poe stops at the entrance, angles his head outside. “Or you can come and sleep with me.”

She continues staring down at his brown leather jacket. Her body is tingling the same way it had at their proximity on her speeder.

Outside, the sun has nearly set. To the west, past Poe, a warm light lingers, the orange of the horizon melding into a light purple then blue, before darkening into the navy of the sky above.

Poe has kicked off his boots and socks. He is lying down, his feet down, wiggling his toes in the sand. He shifts when she steps out, smiles up at her. “Hey.”

Rey pulls off her boots, and then loosens her belts to pull off her crosspieces. She wraps her boots in the strips of cotton for makeshift pillow, and she settles down with Poe on her left, just within arms’ reach, and the AT-AT a few paces away on her right.

“Thrifty,” Poe says, looking at her pillow. After she settles in, he asks, “Does this mean I get my jacket back?”

“Collateral,” she says. She only lasts a few seconds under Poe’s inquisitive gaze before her mouth flickers into a smile and she flushes. 

Poe lets out a huff of a laugh. He turns onto his side, moving ever so slightly closer, and gazes at her. Soft, curious. “What are you doing out here?”

She frowns. “I thought you wanted me–”

“I do. But I meant, what are you doing out here on Jakku?”

“Oh.” Rey turns to look up at the sky.

Poe doesn’t say anything, only waits.

She swallows. “I’m waiting for my family.”

Poe’s gaze flicks past her to the AT-AT. Voice low, he asks, “How long have you been waiting?”

“Don’t pity me,” she says, continuing to stare up at the unchanging expanse of sky. “They’re coming back for me.”

Poe nods. “Of all the planets to wait on, it could be worse than Jakku.”

Rey turns to stare at him. “There are worse places?”

Poe bursts out laughing at her expression. “There’s this planet called Hoth. Went to check on the old Rebel base out there. It’s an ice cube. And there’s Tatooine, which is also a desert planet, but it’s got two suns, amplifying the heat, and it’s just awful.”

“I…” _I hate it here. I want to leave. I want to go_ home.

The silence stretches. Poe is just waiting, watching.

“I don’t always like it here,” she allows. “It’s hot. It’s dry. And I hate sand. It gets everywhere.”

“Almost sorry I brought you out here.”

“Almost?”

Another smile, another unknown emotion. “I’m enjoying the company.”

Her cheeks flush with warmth again. “You travel a lot?”

Poe nods.

“Tell me about the planets. Where have you been?”

Poe pulls in close, pressed up against her side, and he raises his arm, pointing to a star. “That’s Yavin IV, my home planet.”

She turns to him. “The base of the Rebels during the first Death Star attack?” She asks excitedly. It then occurs to her that there is very little space between them.

His eyes are bright, and he nods, his nose bumping against hers, a lock of his hair brushing against her forehead. “I’ve been to the stairs of the ceremony. It’s amazing.”

She looks back up. “Where else have you been?”

“A lot of places. Point, and I’ll tell you.”

Rey loses track of time. Poe’s voice washes over her, and she stores away all the details. The first few planets she picks at random. The fifth she points as far east as she can manage with the AT-AT blocking her way, and his body curves around her to make sure he’s looking at the right star. She doesn't remember any of the details of the planet, only the details of him. His breath against her neck. His clean scent. The soft cotton of his shirt against her arm, the firm line of his body under it.

The sixth planet, Rey points directly above them. She does the same for the seventh as well, and Poe shifts back away from her.

She feels the loss of heat instantly. Heart hammering, she points to a planet east again, but a few degrees more south.

Poe draws in closer against her, his body again pressed up against hers. “Haven’t been there,” he murmurs.

She glances away, picking a bright star on the horizon, past the outline of the AT-AT, more south than east. “There?” she asks.

He presses in closer and shakes his head.

She points farther south, letting her hand drop back onto the sand.

He shakes his head again.

She swallows. “Do you want to?”

He slides on top of her, straddling her hips. His hand skims up his arm, and then his hand is around her wrist, and he’s sliding her arm over, so she’s pointing nearly due south. His gaze finally drops down to her. “Would like to go there,” he murmurs.

She stares up at him, eyes wide, breath hitching.

He lowers his head, his nose bumping against hers. But he stops, hesitates, assessing.

Rey closes the scant space between them. It’s a clumsy press of lips, she’s never done this before. But permission granted, he takes control. His mouth moves against hers, firm and insistent. He licks his way into her mouth, and she opens up to him, arching up against him, dozens of new sensations washing through her.

He pulls back, and she gasps for air, dizzy and breathless, and gasps again as he kisses the corner of her jaw.

She tilts her head to give him better access, her hand coming up to card her fingers through his hair. The grit of sand dusts part of his head, but she digs her fingers to slide along his scalp, buried in the softness of his hair.

He hums against her neck, his tongue tracing the tendon of her neck. He shuffles down her body, and then his hips are between her legs, pressing firm against her.

She gasps again, the stars burning brighter in the sky. Pressure is building in her, and she rocks against him, arousal coursing through her body.

“Unless you really do want to get sand everywhere…” he starts, lips grazing against her neck, “…we should probably head back inside.”

She scrambles to her feet as soon as he’s off her.

Once inside, Poe pulls her in for another kiss, one hand on her hip and one hand cradling the back of her neck. He’s very good at this. She opens her mouth to his easily, trying to follow his lead. The hand on her hip slides over, dipping down between her legs. He starts palming her, and she gasps. It’s never felt like this before, nothing has felt like this before.

Uncertainty washes over her, and as his lips move down her neck, she starts, “I’ve never done this before, I have no idea what to do–”

“Simple. You take what you want.”

“I’ve never done this before–” she’s never been invited to take anything before “–I don’t know what I want–”

He nips at her collarbone, looking up at her and smirking. “Then I’m going to help you figure it out.”

She pulls him in for another kiss, and another, her arms wrapped around his neck, not letting go until he pulls back, pulling his shirt up over his head. Her hands are on him instantly, palms running down his chest and up his sides and feeling him shiver against her.

He pulls away again, and shuffles over to grab the blanket off her hammock. Unrolling it unrolls her shirt, and the portions dropping down onto the floor. He makes a startled noise, and bends down to shuffle them into a pile and shove the pile off to the side. The blanket is smoothed down on the floor, and then he pulls her down onto his lap, his hands sliding up under her shirt. She hums into his mouth, and he takes it as permission to tug her shirt off. He lays her down, his mouth going to her collarbone and down further.

She just lies there, her fingers clenching his shoulder. She feels the ripple of muscle under her fingertips, feels the ripples of pleasure as his mouth and tongue and fingers explore her body. He nips at the skin above her bandeau, and she gasps.

_Take what you want._

She pulls him back up to her, biting his bottom lip and then rolling it between her teeth. She burrows one hand into the silky strands of his hair, her other hand grazing down his side, his stomach, tracing the waistband of his pants. He murmurs something against the corner of her mouth as she unbuckles his belt, and then gasps her name as she reaches down his pants and curls her hand around him.

She likes Poe saying her name, and so she strokes him, firm and slow, counting and storing each murmur of her name.

Poe’s hand slides back up to between her legs, and he palms her again, more forceful this time, and the stars burn bright against the back of her eyelids.

Rey scrambles to push her pants down her thighs. It’s difficult to do with one hand, and she can’t bring herself to stop carding her fingers in his hair, but Poe helps shove her pants out of the way, doing the same for himself a moment later. 

Poe slides into her, and her fingers tighten in his hair. Rey turns her head to capture his mouth in another kiss, his mouth now warm and familiar against hers. She rocks up against him, and he moans into her mouth. He moans again and again as she pushes herself to match each of his thrusts, and he traces his fingernails over every inch of her skin. Pleasure races after his touch, every part of her pulsing and throbbing, the warmth between them building and building until her entire body goes taut, stars bursting behind her eyes.

She goes boneless, sinking back against the blanket, and Poe smiles down at her. His movements slow, but he keeps touching her, kissing her. Heart racing, she wraps her arms around his back and clings to him.

His body goes tense a few moments later, and he lets out a low moan as he comes, and she swallows the sound in a kiss.

They lie together for a few quiet minutes, Rey’s breath evening out, feeling 

“That was stickier than I thought it’d be,” Rey says, finally.

Poe laughs against her neck. “Guessing there’s no ‘fresher in these things?”

He’s too close for her to shake her head. “Only a makeshift sanistream outside.”

“You want to rinse off first or should I?”

Rey doesn’t think she can move. Judging the pleased look on Poe’s face, he can probably guess as much. He leans back in for a long, lazy kiss, and then he’s grabbing his shirt and heading back outside. Eventually Rey pushes herself to standing to do the same, quickly rinsing off before she returns to where Poe is lying on the sand.

Poe is staring up at the sky, and again he smiles at her as she settles down next to him. He wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close, and pressing a kiss to her temple.

Rey lets herself relax against him, and the rise and fall of his chest soon lulls her to sleep.

+

She wakes up ten minutes before the sun. The sand and air are cool, but Poe is warm against her side. He’s still fast asleep, and his face is relaxed, peaceful, happy. She allows herself a moment to soak in his warmth, the firm line of his body, the comfort of his presence, his unguarded happiness. Then she’s sliding away from him, rising to her feet. She bends back down for her bundle of shoes and crosspieces, and jostles him awake.

Poe grumbles as he pushes himself to sitting. “Never been much of a morning person.”

“Pinch yourself. It helps wake you up. The more time you spend drowsing about, the more time you have to spend in the sun.”

“Nah, ‘m a pilot, I have a few ways to make myself alert.”

“You have until I finish dressing,” she says. She puts on her crosspieces, her boots. She goes into her home to grab her shirt, which she quickly and easily wraps around her head. The portions are still in a pile from last night, and she makes a circuit around her home, stuffing them into different nooks. 

Back outside, Poe has reclaimed his jacket, slid back into his socks and shoes. His hands are above his head, and he’s stretching his head from side to side.

Rey spends a moment watching him, watching him and knowing exactly what his body feels like against her own. The sun hasn’t risen yet. She has enough food to last her at least a week, she doesn’t need to go out scavenging today.

But she does. She can’t stand to have her emergency rations depleted again, and she needs to take Poe to the Inflictor.

“We should get going,” she makes herself say.

Poe turns back to her, an easy smile on his face. “Lead the way.”

As she heads to her speeder, she glances at Poe. She has most of her ration from last night, but… “Can I have another ration?”

He smiles, seeming pleased she asked. “Of course,” he says, tossing her one.

She breaks it in half, shoves the first part in her mouth, and tucks the second part away for later.

“Anything I can trade you to try driving this thing?” Poe asks, eyeing her speeder with admiration.

Rey shakes her head. She climbs up onto it.

Poe climbs up after her. He’s as close as he was yesterday, and it’s as warm as it was yesterday. He leans in and presses a kiss to her cheek.

Rey smiles to herself as she tugs her goggles into place.

The Inflictor is only a few minutes away.

She easily dismounts off her speeder.

Poe doesn’t dismount quite as easily. “So, what am I looking for again?”

“I’ll get it for you,” Rey tells him, and then disappears into the cool interior of the star destroyer. It’s easy to find a spare part, and she stalls for a moment. But the sun will be rising soon, the day will be growing hot soon after, and the sentimentality of last night is slowly fading away. She had a night to take what she wanted, and now it’s day and time to do what she needs.

Poe is waiting for her, back turned to her, examining her speeder.

“It’s about an hour’s walk back to Niima Outpost,” she tells him, as she hands over the part.

Poe stares at her, an eyebrow raised.

“I’m not going back to Niima Outpost until the end of the day,” Rey explains.

“Okay…” he says, slowly. “Is there any reason why I can’t have you drop me off then?”

“It’s quicker for you to head back on your own.” She stares at him. “There’s no reason to stay with me.”

“Except for the fact I want to.”

It’s amazing how easily he can take her breath away. “Why?”

“I’m not too eager to be gone from your company yet.” For the first time, his gaze flickers into uncertainty. “Unless you want me to head back…” 

“I have work to do.”

“I can help,” he offers.

It’s been years since Rey scavenged with a partner. It was back when she was still young, back before she learned the true purpose of scavenging: get someone else to do more of the work but try and claim portions for it.

She grew up and grew stronger, and swore no one will take advantage of her again.

But she knows that Poe isn’t going to take advantage of her – that Poe doesn’t _want_ to.

“Are you sure?”

“I want to do this.”

She considers him. Considers all the parts of the Ravager she’ll now be able to access. “It’s not going to be easy,” she feels compelled to add.

Poe shrugs. “I’ll do what I can.”

She smiles at him. “Alright,” she says. She bites her bottom lip. “You’re still not driving my speeder, though.”

Poe laughs at that. “Damn,” he says, a teasing grin on his face. As he passes her, he presses a kiss to her cheek.

+

Rey hid most valuable scavenged pieces around the Ravager where she would be able to access them on later days, but still brought a few pieces with her to defer suspicion. As well, she dropped Poe off before she continued to the Outpost, not wanting to be questioned about his whereabouts.

It doesn’t work as planned, but Rey ignores the questions of the scavengers around her as she cleans her half-dozen pieces. Eventually, they give up asking her where he is, where he’s been, what she’s gotten out of him.

A familiar dread grows in her as there’s only three pieces left to clean, then two. Only the dread is not what she’s going to be told at the trading post, but what comes after.

What’s she’s brought is worth two portions, and she stows them away into her crosspieces. The pieces she brought were some of the less valuable ones, so she should be able to get by for weeks on the next few scavenge trades and trips. It’s a relief, and one that will be long-lasting. But before she can go back to her home, before she can eat and know she won’t have to go hungry for a long time, she needs to see Poe.

She needs to say goodbye to Poe.

She makes her way past Niima Outpost, up a sand dune. As she crests it, she sees the X-Wing at the base of the dune. It is, remarkably, still in one piece.

Moving around the X-Wing, she sees Poe. He hasn’t noticed her, too busy with a pre-flight sequence.

By the time she’s at the bottom of the sand dune, Poe is on the ladder up to the cockpit. He still hasn’t noticed her. Or perhaps he has, and is as much at a loss as she is. It hurts to consider.

Everything hurts.

 _Don’t go_ , she thinks, looking at him. There’s nothing here on Jakku, nothing to stay for. He’s part of the Resistance, Jakku is of no importance. But she wants him to stay with her.

“You could come with me,” Poe offers.

She stares at him, unable to breathe.

He’s staring back at her, gaze intense. “Join the Resistance. Come with me,” he repeats.

She lets the offer linger. For a moment, she allows herself to think about leaving Jakku with him. Seeking out training and becoming a pilot, becoming a hero. Staying with Poe.

But… 

“I can’t.”

His brow furrows.

“My family…”

A heavy silence grows between them.

“Are coming back for you,” he finally continues for her. “And you want to be here when they do.”

She nods.

Poe stares down at her, brows furrowing. And this look, this is familiar. With everyone she’s met at the Niima Outpost, there’s the same stare – analyzing her, her strengths and weaknesses, seeing what would break her and what would tempt her.

Rey holds her head high.

“There’s no way I can get you to change your mind, is there?” he says, finally, somewhere between a question and an observation.

She shakes her head. She could ask him to stay, and he might actually stay for her.

Poe nods. He takes three steps back down the ladder, walks back to her. He wraps his hand around her neck, and dips his forehead against hers. “Well, once they do, if you’re still interesting in joining the Resistance, look me up.” The kiss is soft, and turns into a series of short brushes of his mouth against hers.

Poe’s steady against her, and she clenches the lapels of his jacket in her hands. It’s warm from his body heat, the leather worn against her fingertips.

 _Don’t go_ , she thinks.

Poe pulls back, hesitates, and presses a final kiss to her cheek. Then he’s climbing back up the ladder and into the cockpit of his X-Wing.

The X-Wing hums as it starts up.

She watches Poe leave (her).

She returns to her home.

She adds another notch to the wall.


End file.
